Q&A with Padres groundskeeper

Head Groundskeeper Luke Yoder helps pull the tarp over the infield as rain comes down on Petco Park before the scheduled start of Friday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. Sean M. Haffey/Union-Tribune
— Sean M. Haffey

Head Groundskeeper Luke Yoder helps pull the tarp over the infield as rain comes down on Petco Park before the scheduled start of Friday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. Sean M. Haffey/Union-Tribune
— Sean M. Haffey

Luke Yoder has a "degree in grass," actually a bachelor of science in horticulture and turf grass management from Clemson. He has been in charge of the playing surface at Petco Park since before it opened. A discussion with the Padres Director, Landscape/Field Maintenance.

Q: You came to the Padres from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Why?

A: "Have you looked at the weather map? Originally, I wanted to be a golf course superintendent and Pittsburgh is the perfect place for that. ... If that was my job, I'd rather be in Pittsburgh. But with the Pirates, the first thing I looked at in the morning and the last thing I saw at night was the Weather Channel. It ran my life. I'd awaken at 3:30 in the morning at the first clap of a thunderstorm. If we were wrong on the weather, it was a $1 million mistake and I know of guys who got fired because of that. If the forecast called for anything more than a 30 percent chance or a quarter-inch of rain, we covered the field. Here the margins are 20 percent chance or an eighth-inch, and we don't get that very often."

Q: Where is the tarp at Petco Park?

A: "Under the grandstands down the left-field line."

Q: How many times did you pull the tarp at Pittsburgh? How many times here?

A: We averaged 65 pulls a season in Pittsburgh. Here, we've had two during the World Baseball Classic in 2006. That was the only time (before Friday night). Which is why I'm here."

Q: But if you were a golf superintendent, you'd rather be in Pittsburgh?

A: "The area has the perfect rain for grass. The lightning adds nitrogen to the rain, making it a perfect rain for grass. Here, you irrigate for grass and you have to use chemicals to clear the grass of salts and minerals in the water."

Q: How hard is it to grow grass in San Diego?

A: "Not hard if you are growing a lawn. Fescue is perfect for a San Diego lawn, but not for a baseball field. In Pittsburgh, we used a Kentucky bluegrass. The way grass grows is the only thing I miss from Pittsburgh. Here, we transition from a winter rye to a summer Bermuda. We have good winter conditions for rye and an awesome summer for Bermuda. But the transition period is tough. I bite my nails during the transition in May and June."

Q: I know your crew takes great pride in the dirt portion of the infield.

A: "Ours are perfect conditions for an infield. What we're looking for is players to leave spike marks and not foot marks in the dirt. The weather allows us to be more consistent with the dirt. The infield is nice and consistent 71 to 72 games a year."

Q. Let's get down to it, as much as the field at Petco Park has been praised, Braves third baseman Chipper Jones criticized the infield in 2006.